Rotary brush for suction cleaners



y 1952 w. D. SELLERS 2,601,693

ROTARY BRUSH FOR SUCTION CLEANERS Filed Dec. 9, 1947 INVENTOR.

4 William D. Selle 2m k/M .5: We

ATTORNEY.

Patented July 1, 1952 U Nil TED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,661,693

ROTARY BRUSHFOR SUCTION CLEANERS :William Douglas -Sellers, Pasadena, Calif as signorto TheHoover- Qompany, North Canton, '0hio, a corporation of'Ohio Application December 9, 1947, SerialNo. 790,544

This invention relates to suction cleaners and more particularly to'the manner of mounting a removable brush element on a rotatable brush or agitator body.

When rotatable brushes or mounted in the suction nozzle "of .a suction cleaner :space isat apremium. The' ideal situation is for the bristles of thebrush'oragitator to extendthe full-length of the nozzle. However, it is necessarytomount the brush or agitaa tor for rotation and tolprovide means for rotatably driving it. Both of-these factors have heretofore'limited the :extent of the bristles of the brush or agitatoralongthew length of the nozzle.

It is an object of this invention toprovide a removable brush element for a rotatable brush or agitator, adaptedfor'placement in a suction cleaner nozzle, in which the bristles extend the greatest possible'distancealongthe length of the nozzle.

In rotary brushes oragitatorsfor'use' in the nozzle of a suction 'cleaner itis desirable that the bristles extend helically abouttlthezbody of the brush oragitatoriroll. In the past thishas been complicatedtbecause of the difiiculty in spirally: shaping the bristleiholder and informing spiral seat for I the brush element in the brush or agitator roll.

According to this inventionit is unnecessary to helically form the bristle holder or to form a helical seat for the brush element in the body of the brush or agitator roll.

It is well'known that the bristles of a rotary brush or agitator as used in -a-suction cleaner nozzle wear away with' use. -Itis thereforenecessary toprovide some way for easily" replacing the brushelement as the bristles become worn.

Accordingly'another object ofthis invention is to mount the brushelement upon the agitator body that it can be easily removed and replaced when the "bristles become 'worn.

Otherobje'cts and advantages of this invention will become apparent as the description proceeds and upon considering in connection therewith the accompanying drawing in which:

Figure l isa side elevation of a suction cleaner incorporating a rotatable brush oragitator in accordance with this invention withcertain parts of the suction cleaner broken away;

'Figure 2 is a perspectiveview oftherotary brush or agitator of this invention;

Figure 3 is a perspective view-of the bristleholding element of this'iinventionpand agitators are 11:,

,6 Claims. (CL 15-183) brush or agitator of this invention taken online 2B. openings 21 are. all positioned to .one side of the 4-4: of :Fig; 2.

Referring to the drawing, a suction cleaner as illustrated comprises a nozzle I interiorly connected by an-air; passageway 2 to a fan chamber .3 which houses asuction-creating fan-4 carried by the lower end of. a motorshaft 5, an unshown lmotor beingpositioned within a motor casing 6 immediately above the fan chamber. The nozzle is formed with front and rearsurface-contactby a belt [8 from the motor shafti. As is usual the brush or agitator l6 is'so mounted that the bristles will extend slightly beyond or below the plane of nozzle lips I and B.

The brush or agitator IE includes a metal shell 23 and a plurality of bristle-holding elements 2|, a belt pulley 22 being formed in the shell 20 mid-way between its ends. The bristle-holding elements 2| may be of the same shape and size and of moldable material such as hard rub- .ber, a phenolic condensation product or other suitable material; or they may be fabricated of metal.

The edge 23 of the elements'2l is straight "while the edgel24 is of spiral formation. Adjacent the spiral edge 24the bristle-holding elements2l are provided with a row of bristle tuftreceiving. openings 25 in which bristle tuftsit are secured. A, plurality of counter-sunk openings 21 are provided in the elements 21 to receive screws28 for attaching the elements to the shell It is to be noted that the screw-receiving bristle tuft-receiving. openings 25 so that the row .of bristle tufts may be extended to the extreme end of the elements.

The metal of the shell 20 is depressed inwardly upon opposite sidesof pulley 22 to form recessed seats for the bristle-holding elements 21, each seat includinga pair of ledges 30 and ill-and side wal1s32 andl33. The .ledge 3|; is wider in each instance than the ledge-3fl and has a screw threadedholes thereinto receive the screws 28.

The wall 32 of the depression is straight so as to conform to the straight side wall 23 of the bristle-holding elements 2| while the wall 33 extends spirally to enable it to abut the edge 2 In section the bristle-holding elements 2! conform to a segment of a circle and completely fill their seats in the shell 20, their outer surfaces forming smooth continuations of the latter.

It is to be noted that the depressions and also the bristle-holding elements 2i extend to positions closely adjacent the pulley 22 and to the agitator end pieces 34 carried on the shaft i! so that the bristle rows extend a maximum distance in the direction of the length of the noz zle. This is made possible in part by the fact that the attaching screws 28 are positioned at the side of the row of bristle tufts 26 rather than at the ends thereof.

In order to remove the bristle-holding elements 2| when the bristles become worn it is only necessary to unscrew the screws 28, remove the old element, and replace it with a new one. The old elements may, if desired, be rebristled for reuse. It is also to be noted that the bristleholding elements are interchangeable so that their replacement provides no special problem.

I have shown but a single embodiment of my invention which, it is to be understood, is to be taken as illustrative only and not in a limiting sense. I do not wish to be limited to the particular structure shown and described but to include all equivalent variations thereof except as limited by the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. A brush roll comprising, a hollow elongated generally cylindrical shell having a depression within its length to form a belt pulley and a plurality of shallow depressed portions extending from said pulley to the ends of said shell for receiving bristle-holding elements, each of said depressed portions having a straight side wall and a wall spaced peripherally therefrom extending helically along said shell, the bottom wall of said depressed portions being transversely arched between said walls and concentric with the periphery of said shell and bristleholding elements in said depressed portions of the same shape and size as said depressed portions.

2. A cylindrical brush adapted to be positioned portions in said shell at the sides of said pulley extending from closely adjacent thereto to closely adjacent the ends of said shell, each of said depressed portions having a straight side wall and a side wall spaced peripherally therefrom and extending helically along the length of said shell, supporting ledges extending toward each other from the bottom of said walls, said ledges being transversely arcuate and concentric with the periphery of said shell, bristle-holding elements positioned in said depressed portions of the same shape and size as said depressed portions and resting on said ledges, and means for securing said bristle-holding elements to said ledges.

3. A cylindrical brush adapted to be positioned in the nozzle of a suction cleaner comprising, a hollow elongated generally cylindrical shell having a central depression forming a belt pulley, a plurality of shallow depressed portions in said shell at the sides of said pulley extending from closely adjacent thereto to closely adjacent the ends of said shell, each of said depressed portions having peripherally spaced sidewalls extending longitudinally of said shell, ledges extending toward each other from the bottoms of said walls, said ledges being transversely arcuate and concentric with the periphery of said shell, elongated bristle-holding elements positioned in said depressed portions so as to lie against said walls and ledges, said elements being transversely arcuate and of a thickness the same as the depth of said depressed portions, a row of bristle tufts extending along one edge of said bristle-holding elements from end to end thereof, and means within the length of said row of bristles for securing said bristle-holding elements to said ledges.

4. A cylindrical brush adapted to be positioned in the nozzle of a suction cleaner comprising, a hollow elongated generally cylindrical shell having a central peripheral depression forming a belt pulley, a plurality of shallow depressed portions in said shell extending from closely adjacent said pulley to closely adjacent the ends of said shell, said depressed portions having one side wall extending in a straight line longitudinally of said shell and a second wall spaced peripherally of said one wall and extending helically along the length of said shell, the bottom wall of said depressed portions being transversely arched between said walls and concentric with the periphery of said shell, a bristle-holding element positioned in each of said depressed portions, said bristle-holding element having a straight edge and a helical edge to extend along the spaced walls of said depressed portions, said elements being transversely arcuate and of a thickness the same as the depth of said depressed portions, a row of bristle tufts positioned alons the helical edge of said bristle-holding elements and extending from end to end thereof, and means for securing said bristle-holding elements to said shell.

5. A cylindrical brush adapted to be positioned in the nozzle of a suction cleaner comprising, a hollow elongated generally cylindrical shell having a central peripheral depression forming a belt pulley, a plurality of shallow depressed portions in said shell extending from closely adjacent said pulley to closely adjacent the ends of said shell, said depressed portions having one side wall extending in a straight line longitudinally of said shell and a second wall spaced circumferentially from said one wall and extending helically along the length of said shell, ledges extending toward each other from the bottoms of said walls, said ledges being transversely arcuate and concentric with the periphery of said shell, a brush-holding element positioned in each of said depressed portions abutting said ledges, said bristle-holding elements being transversely arcuate .and of a thickness the same as the depth of said depressed portions and having a straight edge and a helical edge to extend along the peripherally spaced walls of said depressed portions, a row of bristle tufts positioned along the helical edge of said bristle-holding elements and extending from end to end thereof, and means .for securing said bristle-holding elements to said ledges.

6. A bristle holding element adapted a form a portion of the periphery of a cylindrical brush comprising, a transversely arcuate elongated member forming a segment of an annulus, said member having a straight edge extending in a straight line from one of its ends to the other 5 and a helically formed edge also extending between said ends, a row of bristle tufts extending from end to end of said member along the helical edge thereof and fastener-receiving openings extending through said member along the straight edge thereof.

WILLIAM DOUGLAS SELLERS.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

Number UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Abrams May 11, 1875 Knowles Dec. 17, 1889 Edmonds Oct. 1'7, 1911 Jones Nov. 41, 1941 Boyle Feb. 3, 1942 Smellie May 5, 1942 White Nov. 19, 1946 

